Guns, Germs, and Steel
Categories: History
Why did some societies come to conquer others? Jared Diamond argues that the answer lies in geography and environment, not in any difference between peoples. Societies with a head start in farming moved beyond hunting and gathering and developed complex institutions, along with deadly germs and powerful weapons. They then used those advantages to conquer and devastate other cultures. Sweeping across thousands of years of human history, the book takes apart racial explanations of why the world turned out the way it did. It won the Pulitzer Prize.
Recommended by 11 people
- Stewart Brand
- Patrick Arnold
- Margaret Atwood
- Joe Rogan
- Jamie Dimon
- Daniel Ek
- Bill Gates: “Diamond's best-known book, Guns, Germs, and Steel, had a profound effect on the way I think about history and why certain societies advance faster than others.”
- Sam Harris: “He's the author quite famously of the books, guns, germs, and steel, and collapse.”
- Seth Godin: “Guns, Germs and Steel, which I consider one of the most important big-thought books ever.”
- Tom Bilyeu: “Great book.”
- Simon Sinek: “I'm a fan of books that challenge our assumptions, and Diamond offers us a new and remarkably simple way of looking at our world.”